A Harrogate teacher is supporting calls by a union to ensure teachers are vaccinated alongside other frontline workers.
Sharon Calvert, teacher and the national executive member of NASUWT for the Harrogate area, believes teachers need to be vaccinated for their own health and to ensure schools can safely reopen.
The government has said 88% of all covid fatalities are from vulnerable groups making it necessary to prioritise the vaccine for those most at-risk.
When schools reopened in September many introduced a bubble system to reduce contact between students and staff. Some age groups were told to wear face masks in corridors.
Ms Calvert supports her union’s campaign ‘Vaccinate to Educate’. The union launched a petition which has reached almost 460,000 signatures and is set to be debated in parliament tonight.
Ms Calvert said:
“Teachers are frontline workers! We have seen whole year groups sent home and many in the schools in the Harrogate area struggle to maintain a safe environment. It would be prudent for all educational staff to be tested and prioritised to be vaccinated to ensure that staff will be protected.”
Read more:
- Harrogate headteacher says children won’t be abandoned during exam season amid covid concerns.
- Harrogate facebook group and tech business join forces to offer laptops to local kids.
Many teachers are still heading into school to teach vulnerable or key worker children.
Ms Calvert said specialist schools are also open and, due to the children’s needs, teachers are unlikely to be able to maintain a safe distance or wear face coverings:
“Special schools are still open to all students. Staff at these schools are working with vulnerable young adults who may need personal care, certainly a two meter distance is not achievable so the staff need to be prioritised as caregivers as well as teachers.
“This will also protect those vulnerable students.”
